Virat Kohli played a pivotal role as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 31) to defend their crown.
Chasing a target of 156, Kohli produced an unbeaten knock of 75 in 42 balls to take RCB over the line with two overs to spare. Along the way, he slammed the fastest half-century of his IPL career in just 25 balls, and deservedly earned the Player-of-the-Match accolade.
Overall, Kohli finished the campaign as the franchise's highest run-scorer and the fourth-highest overall in the tournament, with 675 runs from 16 matches at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, including one hundred and five half-centuries.
During an interaction with TOI, RCB all-rounder Krunal Pandya credited Kohli’s relentless hunger, work ethic, and aggressive mindset for elevating RCB's dressing room standards during their championship runs.
"He leads by example. The hunger he still has to perform and win is inspiring. Sometimes people get satisfied after one or two successes, but then you see someone who has made excellence a habit. You can still see his love for the game. If that love and hunger remain constant, the sky is the limit," Krunal said.
"After 11 games this season, he had two ducks and people asked me whether we were worried. I told them I was excited. He had two back-to-back zeros and then went out and scored a match-winning hundred. He inspires people in the dressing room and outside it through his actions," he added.
Krunal revealed how the batting stalwart’s obsession with winning served as a source of personal inspiration to him.
"One hundred per cent. I am also someone who plays aggressive cricket and loves winning. That doesn’t mean I am a graceful loser, but I love winning," the all-rounder stated.
"We have similarities in the way we approach the game. Over the years, I have spent a lot of time with him. Sharing a dressing room with him has been special. He is a leader in every sense of the word. There is no doubt about that," he remarked.
